On Nov.13, a historic event took place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on a plot of land near the national memorials to Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt: the groundbreaking ceremony for the memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Like many other Americans, I am overjoyed that our nation is honoring Dr. King this way. On the hallowed ground surrounded by memorials to soldiers and leaders of wars, it is especially moving to see the first memorial to a leader who preached and practiced nonviolence and peace. But even as we celebrate the enormously important symbolism of building a memorial to Dr. King in this special place, this monument should also serve as a powerful reminder that there is still much more left for our nation to do to honor him and his teachings that can't be accomplished with a statue or words carved in stone. In his remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony, President George W. Bush said building this memorial to Dr. King alongside the memorials to the many other Americans honored on the ....

1929 — Martin Luther King Jr. is born to the Rev. and Mrs. Martin Luther King Sr. (formerly Alberta Christine Williams) , on Jan. 15. in Atlanta, Ga. 1935-1944 — King attends the segregated David T. Howard Elementary School in Atlanta, the University Laboratory School and Booker T. Washington High School. 1947 — The Rev. King is licensed to preach. 1948 — The Rev. King is ordained to the Baptist ministry and appointed associate pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. He graduates from Morehouse College with a ....